1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of synthetic lubricants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains teachings of oligomerization of alpha olefins. These prior art processes use Friedel-Crafts catalysts and are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,330 which discloses dimerizing C-12 to C-18 alpha olefins; U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,082 which discloses dimerizing C-6 to C-10 alpha olefins; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,149,178 which discloses oligomerizing C-6 to C-12 alpha olefins. The use of Friedel-Crafts catalysts such as boron trifluoride or aluminum chloride requires washing after oligomerization to remove catalyst and subsequent drying.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,512 discloses the use of perfluorosulfonic acid resin membranes to catalyze the hydration and/or polymerization of isobutene. U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,213 concerns alkylation of isoparaffins by addition of an olefin and other reactions using a supported solid perfluorinated polymer of like chemical composition to that used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,512. U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,213 discloses that olefins of from C-2 to C-5 will polymerize if the isoparaffin is not used in large excess.